Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

The Devil Wears Prada is one of those movies that I think most people will enjoy. With an engaging story and two terrific actresses (Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway), there's a lot to enjoy here.

The plot is a simple one. Andy Sachs (Hathaway) is a young, sweet, innocent woman who comes to big, bad, New York City. Yearning for a career in journalism, she decides to apply for a job as the second assistant to the editor of a major fashion magazine. Despite a rather inauspicious interview, complete with being teased about her clothes, Andy gets the job. Thus she's now working for Miranda Priestly (Streep) who can best be characterized as The Boss From Hell. There is simply no other way to describe her. Besides being bossy (which you'd expect from a boss) she's terribly demeaning to others, overly strict, calls at all hours with near-impossible demands, and almost delights in sending her staff on fools' errands, as if trying to set them up for failure.

The first few days are rocky, as Andy is really out of her element. But she starts to catch on, and with the help of Miranda's first assistant Emily (Emily Blunt), and a fabulous new wardrobe, Andy starts to look, and "feel" the role of a rising star in the fashion industry.

This "new" Andy is at first admired by her friends and her boyfriend Nate (Adrien Grenier). They certainly like the "perks" as she brings them lots of "freebies" from the office. But as Andy continues to rise at her job, the rest of her friends feel left out, and accuse her of "changing", in fact, becoming someone they don't recognize.

Thus Andy has to decide her future - stay with The Boss From Hell, in a job that will help her rise in her career, or please the other people in her life.


There's a lot to like in this movie. First of all, there's Meryl Streep. She was so much fun to watch in this role. Despite being so witchy, she never once raised her voice. She has a way of cutting you down, in a mere whisper, or with a simple glance. I would describe her performance as deliciously wicked.

Secondly, there's Anne Hathaway. She's no slouch, either. Her transformation from dowdy girl to beautiful, confident woman was wonderful to watch.

There are also some smaller characters that were fun to watch. Stanley Tucci plays Nigel, one of the fashion assistants at the magazine, and a close worker with Miranda. It was nice that he sort of took Andy under his wing, and helped her tremendously.

And Emily Blunt was terrific as Andy's co-worker, and trainer. Emily loves the fashion industry, and this job means everything to her. I was pleasantly surprised that although she was at times a bit difficult with Andy, especially in the first few days, she always did try to help her. Never once did Emily do anything to 'sabotage' Andy, even if it could have made herself look better. It would have been such an easy thing for Emily to do, so I was glad she didn't do it.

There's quite a bit of humor in this movie, although I wouldn't refer to it as "hilarious" or "uproariously funny". But I did grin a few times. Especially when the film pokes fun at the fashion industry. At one point we're told that when it comes to sizes, two is the new four, and zero is the new two. To this, Andy tells Nigel that she's a size six, which he tells her is the new fourteen. At another point, Emily tells Andy that she (Andy) doesn't deserve nice things - after all, she eats carbs!

So with terrific performances, quite a bit of humor, and an engaging storyline, what's not to like?

Well, I hated the boyfriend. More accurately, I hated that he didn't support Andy more. I couldn't help but feel that if roles were reversed - if he were suddenly grasping at success, she would support him. He pouts because - heaven forbid - Andy has to work late sometimes. And, on his birthday, she tried to get there in time for the party, but she missed it. She tried, but her boss is not exactly birthday-party-sympathetic. Still, Nate's a big boy, and his refusal to support Andy was terrible.

Almost as bad is Andy's friend Lily. She, too, hates that Andy's changed. At one point, Lily blows up at something she thinks she saw, never giving Andy a chance to explain. I'm really glad I don't have friends like that!

But, this is a minor complaint. We needed the friends and the boyfriend to act that way for plotline purposes. I understand that. (But it doesn't mean I have to like it). Other than that, this is a fun movie that I think most people will enjoy.

Happy to place this review into CaptainD’s Good Movies Writeoff.

Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older